Short answer: yes, almost everyone stays. The tear-off is genuinely loud for two to four hours and the whole house vibrates. Plan around that window if you work from home or have anyone who cannot tolerate noise.
What the day sounds like
Tear-off is the loud part. Crews are removing old roofing with shovels directly above your ceilings and dropping it into a trailer. It is impact noise, it is constant, and there is no way to make it quiet.
After that, installation is noisy but much more tolerable: nail guns, footsteps, conversation. Most people find the afternoon fine and the morning difficult.
Preparing the inside
- Take things off the walls in rooms directly under the roof. Vibration knocks frames crooked and occasionally off entirely.
- Move fragile items off open shelves, especially anything on upper floors.
- Cover stored items in the attic. Tear-off shakes loose decades of dust and debris through the decking.
- Expect dust in the top floor rooms regardless.
Preparing the outside
- Move vehicles out of the driveway and away from the work area, for the whole day
- Move patio furniture, grills and anything fragile away from the house
- Take down wind chimes, hanging plants and anything on the eaves
- Point out sprinkler heads, septic components and anything else that should not be driven over
- Clear a path for the dumpster or trailer
Pets
This is the one people underestimate. The noise is frightening for most animals, and crews are in and out of gates all day. Either board them, put them with someone for the day, or keep them in a closed interior room with a note on the door.
Cats in particular bolt through an open gate during tear-off.
Working from home
Take calls somewhere else during tear-off. It is not a matter of tolerance, you genuinely cannot hold a conversation. If you only have one difficult window, schedule it for the afternoon.
Power and access
Crews may need an exterior outlet. You do not need to provide interior access, and a reputable crew will not ask to come inside beyond a bathroom request in some cases, which is at your discretion.
At the end
Expect a magnet sweep of the driveway and yard for nails, and ask how many passes they make. This is the single most common homeowner complaint after a roof, and the fix is simply doing it more than once.
Walk the job with your contractor before they leave. Our replacement timeline covers the full sequence.
Get a free estimate or call (210) 245-4125.
